Watersports such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, and wakesurfing involve propelling a person behind a boat using the boat's power, but the optimal wake for each of these sports is different. In waterskiing, the wake is preferably as small as possible to provide a smooth skiing surface. In wakeboarding, the wake is preferably larger than it is for waterskiing to provide a ramp for aerial stunts. In wakesurfing, the wake should be high enough and have enough curl to propel a person surfing behind the boat without a rope.
In the past, watersports boats were not well equipped to allow the boat operator to adjust the size and shape of the boat's wake. But in recent years, boat makers have developed wake-shaping devices that allow the operator to tune the wake to meet the requirements of a particular watersport.
A watersport that has become very popular the last several years is called wake surfing. In wake surfing, a person rides a board behind a boat and is propelled forward by surfing on the boat's wake. If the wake is large enough, one can surf the wake without being towed by a rope. Modern wake surfing systems generate surf wakes, essentially by digging a hole in the water behind and on one side of the boat. This washes out the wake produced by one side of the boat and creates surfable wave behind the boat.